DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A majority of legislators in the Iowa Senate, frustrated at repeated court rulings declaring anti-abortion laws unconstitutional, have introduced a proposed amendment to the Iowa Constitution that would declare it “does not secure or protect a right to abortion.”

The proposed amendment was introduced Jan. 24 by Republican Sen. Jake Chapman two days after a state court judge struck down yet another attempt by the Legislature to limit abortion. It has the backing of 29 senators.

Chapman says the court created a right that doesn’t exist in the constitution. The House must pass a similar resolution and the Legislature must pass it again next year before it would be placed on a statewide ballot. Voters in Alabama and West Virginia passed similar constitutional amendments in November.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — A woman who says she babysat an Iowa infant who was later left to die in a baby swing testified at the mother’s trial that the baby seemed underweight. The Courier reports that Jennifer Schriever, who had been a neighbor of 21-year-old Cheyanne Harris’, testified Thursday during the second day of Harris’ murder trial that she offered to babysit for Harris in July 2017.

Schriever said the first time she babysat, Harris left then-3-month-old Sterling Koehn and a 2-year-old girl with her for 17 hours. Schriever said the baby had a raw diaper rash and seemed underweight, but ate hungrily.

Schriever said she babysat one other time before the baby was found dead Aug. 30, 2017. An autopsy shows he died of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection caused by being left in a maggot-infested diaper for up to two weeks.

The boy’s father, Zachary Koehn, already has been sentenced to life in prison.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is expressing frustration with Iowa  Congressman Steve King’s comments about immigration and white supremacy. Ernst told Iowa reporters Thursday that she shouldn’t have to be “spending precious time talking about white supremacy and comments by a member of our delegation.”

Ernst says “we really do need to start focusing on our speech and watching our tone.” She says everyone would be better off focusing on the issues and not on religious or ethnic differences.

King, a nine-term House member, caused an uproar after he was quoted in the New York Times stating, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

King, a Republican, claims his comments were taken out of context. The House rebuked him and Republicans stripped him of committee assignments.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to restore voting rights to felons after they’ve served their sentences has passed its first legislative hurdle with unusual bipartisan support and rare endorsement from a broad spectrum of victim rights, civil rights and religious groups.
The two Republicans and one Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance the governor’s bill to a full committee.

The bill calls for a constitutional amendment and must pass the House and Senate in consecutive, separately elected legislative sessions before going for a public vote. Among groups favoring the bill were the American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Leader Foundation.

The Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance wants to add the requirement of repayment of restitution before a felon gets voting rights restored, a sentiment also expressed by some senators.
Some supporters of the measure say that could delay restoration of voting rights for the poorest of felons by years.

MERCURY, Nev. (AP) — A person fatally shot by law enforcement officers during a confrontation at a U.S. nuclear security site in Nevada has been identified as an Iowa man. Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said Thursday that the man killed Monday was 27-year old Nekiylo Dawayne Graves, from Waterloo. Wehrly said in a video news release that a sheriff’s deputy and a security officer shot Graves when he refused commands and continued to approach them following a pursuit after Graves’ vehicle failed to stop at the security gate at the Nevada National Security Site.

The site is located 70 miles north of Las Vegas. Wehrly said the FBI and the Nevada Department of Public Safety are investigating the incident and that her agency is conducting an internal affairs investigation.

Three people died and two others were injured during an accident this (Thursday) morning south of Denison, in Crawford County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1997 Ford Windstar van driven by 52-year old Penny Hulsebus, of Defiance, was traveling north on Highway 59 at around 5:10-a.m., at the same time a 2008 Nissan Rogue driven by 46-year old Saul Armando Guzman Orellana, of Denison, was traveling southbound. The van crossed the center line of the highway and struck the SUV head-on. Hulsebus, and two rear seat passengers in the SUV died at the scene. They were identified as 48-year old Maria Petra Garcia Hernandez, and 42-year old Ericka Leticia Dionicio, both of Denison.

Orellana and a third passenger in his SUV, 50-year old Herme Yaneth Guzman Hernandez, of Denison, were injured in the crash. They were transported by Crawford County Ambulance to the Crawford County Memorial Hospital, and later transferred to The UNMC in Omaha, by LifeNet and Midwest Air ambulance, respectively. All of the crash victims were wearing their seat belts. The accident remains under investigation.

The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Dept., Crawford County Rescue & Ambulance, Manilla Rescue, and the Denison Police Dept.